This is the wettest October in Chicagoland since the 1920's with a total of 22 days of rain this month! Perfect weather for slow cooker comfort food so I decided to try to convert an oven baked brisket recipe into a slow cooker version. I was successful and thought you might appreciate a new way to cook boring brisket.
Recipes, weekly menus and cooking tips created from food items on sale at grocery stores in the North Shore suburbs of Chicago.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Brisket with Barbeque Beer Sauce
This is the wettest October in Chicagoland since the 1920's with a total of 22 days of rain this month! Perfect weather for slow cooker comfort food so I decided to try to convert an oven baked brisket recipe into a slow cooker version. I was successful and thought you might appreciate a new way to cook boring brisket.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Sunset Foods Weekly Specials 10/28-11/4
Farmland Baby Back Ribs $4.99/lb (Save $2.00/lb)
Sargento Shredded Cheese Buy One Get One Free (Save$4.09)
Seedless Cucumbers $.99 each
Easy Take Home Dinner: All $4.98/lb (Save $2.00/lb)
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Italian Wedding Soup
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Sunset, again!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Pork Shoulder
For the sale week ending 10/21, Dominicks is selling pork shoulder for $1.79/lb. On Sunday, I purchased pork shoulder from Costco at $1.39/lb. In general, I think that Costco carries better meat than most local grocery stores so if you have room in your freezer to store the 13 lb's of pork shoulder that come in one package, Costco is definitely going to give you more bang for your buck! Tonight I cooked a pork shoulder recipe from this month's Food Network magazine that was beyond delicious!
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Sunset Foods Wins again!
Monday, October 12, 2009
Costco Shopping List
Frozen Sweet Potato Fries |
Ketchup and Mustard |
Sweet Baby Ray's Barbeque Sauce |
Shearer's Reduced Fat Kettle Chips |
Riceworks Gourmet Brown Rice Crisps |
Kirkland Organic Animal Crackers |
Barilla Pasta Plus |
Del Monte Organic Canned Diced Tomatoes |
Kirkland Organic Strawberry Spread |
Kirkland Organic Peanut Butter |
Organic Coffee's-various brands depending on what is in stock |
Butter, when needed |
Organic Eggs |
2 % Milk |
Frozen Shrimp |
Kirkland Normandy Style Frozen Vegetables |
Lisa's Organics Frozen Green Beans |
Kirkland Mickey Mouse Chicken Nuggets (made with Whole Grains) |
Brussel Sprouts when in season |
Asparagus when in season |
Taylor Fresh Organic Spring Mix (Salad) |
English Cucumbers |
Fruit-mostly strawberries, raspberries and grapes and sometimes organic |
Amy's Sausages |
Arnold Select Sandwich Thins |
Cheese-all types from Feta to Provolone |
Dakota Organic Ground Beef |
Flank Steak or Filet Mignon |
Laughing Cow Cheese Wedges |
Organic Chicken |
Pork Tenderloins (4 per package) |
Rosen's Whole Wheat Bread (2 loaves in pak) |
Tilapia |
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Grown Up Beanie Weanies
4 thyme sprigs, or 1 tablespoon dried thyme
2 to 3 bay leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound thick sliced center cut bacon, cut into 2-inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups dry white wine
2 cups chicken broth
4 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
- Crusty baguette, for serving
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Put the chicken sausage on a baking sheet and place it in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and let cool. The sausage will not be fully cooked through. Meanwhile, pour the olive oil into a large stock pot and place over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook stirring every now and then until crispy, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon remove the crispy bacon pieces to a paper towel lined plate and reserve. To the same pot, add the chopped onion and carrots and sweat the mixture in 2 to 3 tablespoons of the bacon fat for 10 minutes, until the onion begins to turn translucent. Add garlic and sweat for 1 to 2 minutes or until fragrant. Slice the chicken sausage on the bias into 1/2-inch thick pieces and add them to pot. Add the remaining bay leaves and thyme, stirring for 5 minutes. Next add the wine, chicken broth, tomato paste and salt and pepper. Raise the heat to high, bringing the mixture to a boil. Stir well to dissolve the tomato paste and lower the heat. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Add the beans and let the cassoulet simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Spoon into a bowl, sprinkle the top of each serving with some of the reserved crispy bacon and serve with a crusty baguette on the side.
My kids know this as "Hot Dog Soup". Because they like their food separated on the plate, I take out the main components, sausage, beans and carrots, and plate it with a piece of bread. It's not as popular as pizza, but I do hear "hot dogs yummy!"
**This is my easy version of a much more labor intensive recipe found on the Food Network website. It is a true Cassoulet recipe with duck sausage, kielbasa sausage, and dried beans that are soaked and slow cooked. I'm sure it is wonderful, but I prefer chicken sausage and the convenience of canned beans.
www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/dan-smith-and-steve-mcdonagh/sausage-and-white-bean-cassoulet-recipe/index.html